Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is located at 708 Jesmond Road in Fig Tree Pocket, in Brisbane, Queensland. It's on a 44-acre piece of land in the suburbs of Brisbane. It’s only a few kilometres from the city centre, and you can either drive there, use public means, or you can take a ferry along the Brisbane River. The sanctuary was founded more than 90 years ago, and it's the world's largest and oldest koala sanctuary. When the sanctuary was first started, it only housed two koalas, which were named Jill and Jack. Now its home to lots of koalas, wombats, Tasmanians devils, echidnas, duck-billed platypuses, kangaroos, and a number of reptiles. The sanctuary also has lots of native birds and domestic animals.

Here are some of the animals that you can see at the sanctuary.

Koalas

The sanctuary has lots of koalas living in a natural environment. It’s one of the few places in the world where tourists are allowed to carry the koalas and to cuddle them. Koalas are such adorable and gentle creatures, and lots of visitors jump at the opportunity to hold one like a baby. Visitors pay a small fee and then they are allowed to hold the koalas, walk around with them, and take as many photos as they want. Although Lone Pine has lots of professional photographers, many visitors prefer taking ‘koala selfies'. Still, if you need a professionally shot and framed photo, you can take one and have it printed at the gift shop. The sanctuary has a rule that each koala cannot be held for more than 30 minutes a day. The koalas can get stressed out if they are held for too long. The koalas are very fluffy, soft to the touch and docile, but most people find that they are a bit heavy. The koala cuddling line is usually long, but as long as you get your ticket, you will have a chance to cuddle one. If you don't want to cuddle the koalas, you can watch them in their enclosure where they usually feed on eucalyptus leaves and hang around lazily.

Kangaroos

The sanctuary has a large paddock where more than 100 kangaroos live and roam freely. You are allowed to hand feed the kangaroos, and you can buy their food at the reception. There are several different species of kangaroos at the sanctuary. They have big red kangaroos, as well as some of the smaller species, most notably the little wallabies. If you want to hand feed them, you are better off showing up earlier in the day because most of the kangaroos are usually full by the afternoon, and they just want to rest.

Other animals, birds, and reptiles

You will also get the chance to pet, feed or see lots of other creatures at the sanctuary. There is a large pond where you can see the platypus swimming about. The platypus is a fascinating animal because it is a mammal, yet it lays eggs. The sanctuary also has echidnas. Like the platypus, the echidnas are also egg-laying mammals. Despite that similarity, you will be able to observe the stark physical differences between these two animals.

If you have the guts, you will also get the opportunity to pet a giant live snake. Of course, the sanctuary has a competent snake handler, so you don't have to worry about things getting out of hand. You can also see the Tasmanian devils, which in contrast to the koalas, are very lively and energetic. You will also have the chance to tassel a wombat, and you can also pat a few dingos as well. You can also take some time to talk to a parrot at the sanctuary. Although the parrots are silent most of the time, you may be lucky enough to hear them say a few common phrases.

The sanctuary has lots of guided tours and scheduled shows, and you can check their official website (https://koala.net/en-au/) to find out more about when you can watch the shows or take the tours. The most popular daily shows at the sanctuary are the Sheepdog Show and the Bird of Prey Free Flight Show. The sanctuary has free Wi-Fi, as well as a number of seating areas with lots of USB power stations and even wireless charging, so you can enjoy posting your photos online or streaming a video blog of your experience at the sanctuary. The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a great place to hang out with friends and family and to experience nature and learn about animals.